


You Are Not Alone In This

by norgbelulah



Category: Justified
Genre: Abandonment, F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-06
Updated: 2011-09-06
Packaged: 2017-10-26 00:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/276388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/norgbelulah/pseuds/norgbelulah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ava gonna be around again for a long time, you think?” Raylan asked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Are Not Alone In This

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redbrunja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbrunja/gifts).



> Written in reponse to redbrunja's request for pre-series Ava/Raylan and I went ahead and decided to make this the "abandonment issues" square on my hc_bingo card. Thanks to Mumford & Sons' "Timshel" for the lyric/title.

“Little Ava’s down at her gram’s again,” Raylan’s Aunt Helen said to his mama between bites of scrambled eggs on Saturday morning. “Apparently, that poor child’s mother ran off trailing after some rock band half-way across the country. Says she’s lookin’ for Ava’s daddy. Tryin’ to scare up some child support. I asked Big Ava, soon as she told me that bullshit, after sixteen years? Ain’t no way the woman can prove whose child she had, let alone convince some no account musician to pay any money for a girl who’s almost grown.”

Raylan’s mama shook her head. “Ain’t your business, Helen. Not to ask, and not to spread that news.”

“Oh, shut up, Frances. You gossip like the rest of us. Just ‘cause your kitchen table ain’t the church social club don’t mean we can’t talk about people behind their backs.”

Raylan, until that moment, had been pretending to be half asleep in his oatmeal. But he felt curiosity get the better of him as he asked, “Ava gonna be around again for a long time, you think?”

“Well, seeing as her mama left just yesterday, I think it’ll probably be a while ‘fore she gets her claws into someone who’ll give her enough cash to make it back home. Why do you ask, Raylan?” Aunt Helen had an annoyingly knowing look in her eye.

“No reason,” he answered stiffly. “I gotta get to work.”

On the drive down the hill and towards the town and mine, Raylan was surprised to be passing the subject of that morning’s very conversation on the road. He pulled up beside her as she walked and called out the window, “Hey, Ava.”

He hadn’t seen the girl in a few months. He was out of school now and every time her mama blew back into town she’d take Ava to live with her in whatever open apartment or hotel she could find in Harlan. The one they stayed in last was clear across the county, or so Helen said.

Ava looked good though, wearing a tiny pair of daisy dukes that showed off a real nice pair of legs and an over-sized band t-shirt some boy must have given her. She’d cut out the collar, to show off some skin, and the bottom was frayed and curling up towards her stomach. But even still, to Raylan, she looked like a girl; too young for anything but a kind word on a bad day.

“Hey, Raylan,” she answered in a small voice, not looking at him. He realized she was crying.

He nearly stopped the car all together, but instead just slowed down to her pace and tried to smile, pretend like he hadn’t noticed. “Where you walkin’ to, Ava?”

“Where do you think, dummy?” She returned with a little more bite.

“Want a ride?”

She peered at him, like he absolutely must have some ulterior motive, and wiped her eyes before she got in the truck.

“Where to?” he asked with a smile, picking up speed down their dirt drive.

“Just the grocer. Gram needs a few things for the church bake sale.” She kept her eyes out the window and her hands in her lap, fiddling her fingers nervously.

Raylan felt bad. He hadn’t meant to make her uncomfortable. “All right.”

They rode in silence until they had to stop at the train tracks right before town. Raylan should have known they’d get the train, it always came right after he passed over the tracks when he was on schedule. He put the truck in park, knowing it would be a couple minutes wait.

Ava looked over at him, uncertainty in her eyes. “My gram said even if Mama came back this time, she wouldn’t take her back. Gram says I’m gonna stay with her until I graduate and maybe after that too.”

Raylan didn’t know why she said that, but it made him feel just awful. “What do you think about it?” he asked quietly.

She shrugged. “It won’t make no difference ‘til she comes back. If she does. I guess I’ll just decide then.” A single tear escaped her eye as she spoke, but her voice hadn’t wavered and Raylan wished he hadn’t said anything.

“Shit, Ava. I’m sorry,” he blurted and before he knew what he was doing he leaned in and kissed her, softly on the lips.

She let out a little squeak of surprise, but relaxed a second later and opened her mouth just a little for him. He pulled away when she tried to move in closer. Her eyes were wide, but her tears were gone.

Raylan didn’t know why he did that, but he knew it couldn’t go any further.

The train had just passed and Raylan put the truck into gear. He kept his eyes on the road.

It took just under a minute to get to the store. He pulled the truck up to the sidewalk and looked over at Ava, giving her his best confident smile. He smiled like kissing her had been his plan all along, like he had everything completely under control.

She looked around for anyone nearby, then leaned towards him, putting her hand on his knee. “I’ll give you a BJ, if you want,” she said. Her eyes were not as confident as her body.

Raylan shook his head slowly but made a face like he would have really taken her up on it, and said, “I gotta get to work.”

“Oh, okay,” she replied, sounding relieved. She pulled back awkwardly and climbed out of the truck. “See you around, Raylan.”

“Ava,” he said, touching his fingers to the brim of his cap, and drove away.


End file.
